Amazon, not one to be outdone on a deal, has now matched the Argos Wii U Premium price of £179.99, which you can see right here; as with Argos, this is for the standard 32GB model.

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After a festive period that — as acknowledged by Nintendo — failed to deliver the bumper sales it anticipated, we can expect the company to react in the coming weeks and months. There are early signs of promotional activity at stores to shift stock, however, with previous discounts perhaps being eclipsed by the latest offering from Argos pricing the 32GB model — which includes Nintendo Land — at the same rate as the Wii when it launched in the region.

Its current offer is £179.99 — the Basic model, weirdly, costs the same — while packaged and themed bundles are still around the standard UK price at £249.99. The question is whether, with stock to sell, a broader range of retailers in the UK, wider Europe and North America will begin to offer greater incentives to potential early adopters. We're yet to see, in addition, whether Nintendo's plans for the Wii U include a substantial price cut, or a top-up to that already applied, to bring it in line with the discount that hit the 3DS in 2011. Nintendo won't want a fire-sale from retailers that have no intention to restock, for example.

One line of argument, in considering the Wii U's struggles, has been whether the relative price jump from the Wii generation has put off some consumers that were drawn in by the little console's range of innovative games — that same argument has to acknowledge the role of other devices in providing budget gaming experiences. Would a wider (hopefully final) price reduction to Wii launch levels turn the tide and get consoles into homes, albeit at an additional loss-per-machine for Nintendo?

Welsh ex-pat Tom is responsible for the day-to-day running of the site. He's the guy to thank for the generally brilliant nature of the content which massages your eyeballs on a daily basis. Also has an unhealthy obsession with all things Bowser. ThomasBW84